Anomaly
by Alpha-alien
Summary: Anomaly: One that is peculiar, irregular, abnormal, or difficult to classify. Robert fits into his category. For eighteen years, scientists have wanted to know everything about him. Now, something inside Robert seems to have changed.
1. i

Anomaly I

DES room 148

"He doesn't talk. Whether it's because he can't or won't, we don't know. He just- sits there."

"We found him with a pair of dog tags..." paper shifted, and a throat was cleared. "They're old, but we got the name 'Robert'. Highly doubtful they're his, but that's all we got."

Two scientists looked through the glass paneling. Robert sat of the floor, his head lowered, his back against the wall. Taking a quick look at him, he appeared to be a normal teen, but if you watched long enough, you'd see what made him so - _unusual_.

Twelve years ago, Robert was found with his mother, clinging tightly to him. Or rather, she claimed to be his mother. The two had been wandering around the outer city. Upon a wide-area search, police discovered an escape pod. The two were taken into the city and cared for, however, Michelle, Robert's supposed mother, would have trouble sleeping. Tossing, and turning, and waking up, screaming at phantoms trying to "take my son! You bastards!"

Robert, on the other hand, never slept. He never spoke, and barely moved at all. He'd stay motionless for hours on end, shifting slightly every so often.

"Robert." The male looked up. His hair was made of ink-soaked silk, his eyes were an unnatural shade of black. Again, the voice spoke. "Robert. Food." The door hissed as it slid open. Robert tilted her head to a side as a woman carefully entered the room, carrying a plastic tray. She placed it down on the floor in front of him. Steam rolled off the steak. Robert blinked, and and crawled over to the tray, a thick, black tail uncurled from it's position under him, and trailed behind, shining in the cheap, florescent lights. He crawled, catlike, to the food, the balls of his feet planted firmly on the ground.

Robert reached his meal and inhaled the scent. _Rare_. Any more rare, and you could of heard the cow moo. He carefully took the steak in his hands, and sat down on his haunches. His hands, specifically his fingers, were another oddity. Six fingers on each hand; two thumbs located on both medial and lateral sides of his hands, and four fingers between them. The index and middle fingers seemed fused together, as did a second middle finger and ring finger.

Robert lowered his head towards his meal and ate. The woman quickly turned and left, the door hissing closed behind her.

"Erugh! Seven years of trying to teach him proper eating etiquette, and he still eats like a savage!" She wiped her hands on her skirt, making a face.

"Karen, be nice." One of the two scientists who were observing Robert spoke, smiling. Karen glared. "That's _Dr. Taylor_ to you, _Frank_."

"Babe, you keep this up, and I'll call you _Mistress_." Karen flipped him off, but failed to hide her blush.

The Department f Experimentations and Science, or DES, had laboratories on every continent and every human inhabited planet, including the Alpha 7 colonization. In all of these laboratories, cameras were everywhere. Always alert. No nook, no cranny, no cabinet, no _bathroom_ wasn't secured without one camera. No _secret tests_ could be preformed, without anyone being notified. All footage was sent to, not just the individual security stations, but DES headquarters.

No scientists could find any explanation to Robert's existence. They couldn't test his blood, because it always ate through he syringe (one of the doctors nearly lost a finger) and he never opened his mouth, so they couldn't get a saliva sample. Even with his eating mannerisms, Robert never slobbered.

Eric Johanson sighed and rubbed his eyes from under his glasses.

"We've been watching him for hours, Frank. I think it's time for a break." Frank Renalds shook his head.

"You go on. I want to observe him a bit more."

"Observe what? He'll finish eating, then g o back to his corner." Karen placed her hands on her hips. Frank shook his head.

"I'll catch up, later. Promise." Karen shrugged.

"Your loss."

Karen and Eric left, and Frank turned back to the glass. He was new, and was fascinated by Robert.

"Well, Robert. Just you an me, now. Show me what you got." It seemed the only thing Robert had was an appetite. Frank watched him ravage the steak for five minutes, before deciding to try and catch the other two at the food court.

As Frank turned around and left, Robert looked up at the one-way mirror. He blinked at his reflection staring back at him. A small trail of blood trickled down his chin in a thin line. He cocked his head to a side and made the first noise since he was born eighteen years ago: a soft hiss.

* * *

A/N;

Yes. New story.

This one's going to take time between updates. I have to rewrite all the chapters I had, and I'm going to be very lazy about it.

That and I'll probably be more inclined to work on my NoES story more.

And remember: Reviews make you cool!


	2. ii

Anomaly ii

Michelle Kraine

Michelle Kraine lay in her bed and stared up at the ceiling, her eyes wide and swimming with tears. Twelve years ago was the last time she saw her son, Robert. Sure, she heard hurried conversations about him from doctors in the hall, but nothing directed to her. That was fine. She didn't talk to them, anyway. They constantly asked her who Robert's father was, where Robert was born, and why Robert looked the way he did. At first, Michelle played innocent.

Twelve years ago, when the police found her, everything seemed fine. They didn't ask questions. Then, when they said they were taking her and Robert to the hospital to be checked out, she flipped. Michelle pleaded with them not to take her and her son, but they insisted.

Once at the hospital, a nurse, working part time at DES spotted Robert. Michelle did her best to keep his abnormalities from prying eyes, but in discomfort, he had shifted, allowing his tail to flash into view.

Karen Taylor then told the head of the floor that the mother and son had to be taken to DES for testing.

The questions started. Michelle told them she didn't know. She was drunk. She was drugged. She was knocked out, raped, and left for dead. The doctors continued to pry until finally Michelle shut up.

Her dreams were filled with the doctors finding out the truth, her son being killed and dissected like a frog in biology; her son being stuffed into a tube, stuck with needles and being poked and prodded; and worse of all, her son being shot down like an animal and thrown into a ditch.

Michelle did no know she yelled in her sleep, or that someone watched her as she slept. She just knew that when she woke up, she cried until she vomited. Her body was pale, and she ate very little, but drank much. So much, people called her a camel when they thought she wasn't listening.

Michelle wanted her son, and her freedom.

The door to her room hissed open, and a doctor stepped in. Michelle blinked away her tears and sat up, staring at him.

"Mrs. Kraine, it's nice to meet you." She had never seen this doctor before, and nearly told him to get out, but kept her mouth shut.

His smile never left as he stopped at the foot of her bed and picked up her patient chart. Michelle closed her eyes and the computer voice spoke.

"Michelle Amber Kraine. Age, 35. Sex, female. Race, Caucasian. Symptoms; Delirium. Bulimia. Mental Instability. Homicidal Tendencies. Suicidal Tendencies. Anxiety. Schizophrenia. Recommended medications; Diazepam. Haloperidol. Fluoxetine. Dopamine. Doctor in Charge: Charles McKay."

Frank Renalds replaced the chart, sighed, and looked up at Michelle.

"Mrs. Kraine, would you like to talk to me?" Michelle chewed the inside of her cheek, and said nothing. Frank smiled.

"I guess not. How about you just lay there, and I'll tell you about Robert?"

Michelle was caught off guard and her mouth fell open. _Robert_? Her Robert? Frank chuckled, sat down, and opened a yellow folder. After a bit of leafing through, it picked up a sheet of paper.

"Robert has been doing fine. He's eating regular meals, though seems to only eat meat." Michelle knew this. When she was nursing him, he nearly took off her nipple and swallowed it along with her milk.

"We can't detect any illnesses, so we assume he has a strong immune system. Now, don't give me that look," Michelle looked like she was about to kill him, "Robert's not being tested on. He has his own room. Though, he seems prone to ripping up furniture. But, he appears comfortable sleeping sitting up."

Michelle chuckled, but quickly stopped, causing Frank to laugh.

"We've had no problems behavior wise, but he doesn't want to talk. We're assuming he can't. Other than that your son seems absolutely normal." Frank replaced the paper, and closed the folder. Michelle smiled and leaned back onto her pillows.

"Do take care, Mrs. Kraine." as he turned and walked away Michelle closed her eyes and had the best night's sleep she had in twelve years.

* * *

A/N:

Yeah, boredom has struck. I'm going to start trying to get all the chapters I had written out rewritten, and put up.

May take a few days. Or hours, depending on how I feel.


	3. iii

Anomaly iii

Robert

Robert was born eighteen years ago. From birth people have wanted him dead. Only his mother loved him. She kept him safe on the planet Alpha 7 until they found him. Marines sent to capture and bring him back to DES headquarters on Earth: dead or alive. He was only four, but the memory was clear in his mind.

_They were running. His mother holding him tightly to her chest. They sneaked onto a cargo ship, but a few soldiers had followed. The ship was large, but sooner or later, they would get caught._

_Robert was scared and clung to his mother, his only protection. They hid in the largest cargo bay. She smiled and stroked his hair._

_"Don't worry." she cooed "Mama's here. Mama won't let the bad men get you. I promise." she kissed her son's forehead. He shivered, nuzzled her neck, and soon fell asleep._

_A scream broke through his dreams. Robert opened his eyes and looked up at his mother. Her eyes were wide and attentive. He gently patted her stomach to gain her attention, and she jumped, shushed him, though she knew perfectly well he couldn't talk, and held him close. There was the sound of something falling, and gunshot, and more screaming._

_Robert clung tighter to his mother, and shook. She quietly did her best to calm him down. He moved his head and looked out a small window._

_Inky black skies sprinkled with white, twinkling flecks of light._

_How long had they been in space? Why weren't they caught? And, who screamed?_

_Robert was pulled from his thoughts by the door hissing open. His mother held her breath, and clung tightly to Robert. He moved his head and watched from between a pillar of boxes as a black mass slunk silently into the room._

Robert couldn't remember much after that. He wasn't sure if he wanted to remember, anyway. At times, he wondered if it was all a bad dream he had long ago. A dream that danced at the edge of his subconscious.

He finished eating and sat in the middle of the floor. Blood from the steak dripped off his chin onto the floor, creating a small puddle. Robert stared at it, opened his mouth, then closed it. Opened, closed. Open, close.

He looked like a fish on the bank. Robert felt his muscles tighten, his throat close up. He clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palms.

Robert, then, fell over and threw up.

* * *

A/N:

This one's short.

Sorry.

Reviews~?


	4. iv

Will probably rewrite the first few chapters at a later date.

For now, enjoy.

* * *

Anomaly iv

Transition

Karen Taylor walked towards Observation Room 148 with a cup of water and a frown. Taking her security key, she slid it through a slot, and punched in her pass code. The door hissed open and she stepped inside.

"Okay, Robert. Time for bed. Robert?" Karen looked up and saw him laying on the floor. She stared for a moment, then quickly looked around. No one was in the hall. She smiled, poured out the water and withdrew a tongue depressor from her coat pocket. She stepped over Robert's body, noting his eyes were closed and his breathing labored.

"Should have cooperated more, boy." she whispered, kneeling down next to the puddle of vomit. She glanced at him. "Maybe I used too much Castor Oil?" she mused. Karen shook her head and dipped the tongue depressor into the mess, and pulled back when she heard hissing. Robert's vomit had eaten away the depressor and was working on the floor. She frowned, and stood.

"So much trouble!" she spat, annoyed her plan failed. She hurried out the room, going for help. As the door closed behind her, Robert opened his eyes and groaned, staring at the door. A single thought raced through his mind: Hungry...

Karen sighed, playing with a lock of hair. She leaned against the wall, watching as HazMat cleaned up Robert's room as best they could.

"Ma'am. You're sure you didn't see anyone." the security guard asked once more. His uniform a dark blue with black accents. He rested his hands on his hips, giving Karen a good look-over. She frowned.

"For the fifth time, yes. I'm sure." she sighed and pushed herself off the wall. "When I went inside he had collapsed and the vomit was already eating away at the floor." she shook her head.

"Terrible." she added, mostly to herself. The guard sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Alright. I'll go inform the higher-ups, but they're not going to like any of this." he shook his head, turned on his heel and left. Karen watched him as he left and smiled. _Cute ass_.

Doctor Arther Cranburry sighed, rubbing his balding head. Paperwork piled high on his desk, and more was coming in. At times like this, he hated being the head doctor. None of that mattered, he was too absorbed in dealing with Robert. The boy had been brought in after having collapsed in his room. Now, Robert was in a special room - a room only he, himself, could enter and was being monitored personally. Cranburry sighed and reached for a jelly doughnut. He bit into it and lazily looked over a paper. He felt a pair of eyes on him and, slowly, raised his head.

"Well, I'll be damned." he whispered.

Inside the room, was nothing. It was barren, cold and lonely. Robert shifted, keeping himself on the ground. He was hungry, he could feel his stomach contracting, demanding satisfaction. His mouth fell open in a silent scream, and his tongue rolled out of his mouth. He arched his back and then rolled onto his hands and feet. Withdrawing his tongue he stared out the clear plastic wall. The man on the opposite side was eating. _Mocking_. Robert's stomach lurched forward, this time demanding it's meal rather than expelling one. Drool fell from the side of his mouth. The man looked up and stared back at Robert. A quiet, primal growl escaped his throat. _Food_...

Cranburry stood and walked towards the room. He knelt down and stared at Robert, then back to his doughnut. Cranburry tapped the wall and Robert stood his ground, staring at Cranburry's hand. "Has your dietary plan changed?" he whispered to Robert, moving his hand all around his area of reach. Robert watched the movement, intently. Cranburry smiled. He stood and walked towards the door.

Robert watched the man intently. His tail quivered in anticipation as he reached the door. The man smiled and reached towards Robert. He had something in his hand. Robert carefully walked forward, his mouth open. He could almost taste it. His tongue lashed out.

Cranburry screamed as Robert's tongue split in two and wrapped itself around his hand. He dropped the doughnut and began to pry the tongue off him. It felt like millions of tiny needles were digging into his skin. Blood rushed from the cuts faster as his heart pounded in his chest.

_Blood_. Sweet blood. Metallic, sweet, fantastic blood! Robert allowed the crimson fluid to fill his mouth. He wanted more. He craved more. He demanded more. _Meat_. Robert withdrew his tongue and pounced on the man, who cried in terror. His back hit the ground, and Robert heard a snap. The man moaned in pain, and began to writhe around. Robert kept him pinned, drool escaped his mouth, pinked by the blood. The man's eyes widened as Robert hissed, his tail shifting behind him. Hunger, hunger took over. Instincts he never knew controlled his movements - and he made no objections. With a loud hiss Robert's mouth closed around the man's neck. Voice box shattered, veins severed and that delicious blood filled his very being. The man spazmed and lay still.

It was time to eat.


	5. v

Anomaly v

Lock Down

"_Attention, all personnel! A lock down has been issued for the entire building. The Department of Experimentations and Science apologies for any inconveniences. Repeat: A lock down has been issued ... _"

A loud roar of confusion and anger rippled through the halls. Eric Johanson looked up from his folder, and frowned. "What in God's name?" he quickly stood, closing the folder, and hurried out his office. He fought through the sea of crowds, most confused and asking the same questions over and over. Other were angry, throwing anything - and everything - they could grab onto. Eric scowled, _They're acting like animals._

Shaking his head in disgust, he reached his destination: Arther Cranburry's office. If anyone would know what was going on, it'd be him. Eric was troubled, seeing how many people were crowded around Cranburry's office, more so due to how many wore uniforms. He approached one of the uniforms and tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me," The uniform turned, obviously jumpy. Eric frowned. "What's going on?" The uniform wiped sweat from his brow, and looked painfully ill.

"Cranburry - he's ..." He swallowed, and looked at the door. Eric followed his gaze. Two more uniforms were hauling out a garbage bag. Eric noticed it was leaking a red fluid. His blood ran cold.

"That's all we found of him." the uniform whispered. "Something tore him apart, like they were eating him." Eric felt his stomach turn. "Lock down's been issued, to try and keep whatever attacked him from escaping." Eric backed up. Something clicked and the uniform straightened. "I didn't tell you that. No one knows what the lock down's for." he eyed Eric. "Get. We've got work to do."

Eric walked back to his office, feeling sick the whole way. _Arther's dead. They found enough of him to fill a garbage bag. What could have done that?_ Nothing made sense. He noticed the uniforms had managed to clear the hallway, so Eric didn't run into anyone. It was a good thing; Eric didn't want to see anyone. Not right now. Arther had been a close friend. Eric entered his office, and closed the door behind him. _Arther._ He sat down, removed his glasses and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. He allowed everything to settle, before he sat forward, prepared to get back to work. The uniforms would find the animal that had attacked Arther and kill it. Lock down would be lifted and everything would be back to normal.

He nodded, and reached for his glasses, his hand sliding against something wet. He squinted, trying to clear his vision. A small puddle was on his desk. He grabbed his glasses and threw them on. He dipped two fingers into the liquid and pulled back, rubbing his fingers against his thumb. Whatever it was, it was thick. He frowned and looked up. _A leak?_ He stood up and climbed onto his desk. He pressed his hands against the ceiling, feeling for any sogginess. The ceiling was dry. This troubled Eric.

"It seems everything is troubling me, today." he whispered to himself as he carefully climbed off his desk. He walked over to the door and opened it. "I think a break will do nicely." he reasoned and stepped out into the hall. Silence. Eric felt like screaming, just to hear his voice bounce off the walls and yell back. He settled for a laugh and walked down the hall looking for someone - anyone - to chat with. He needed to get his mind off Arther. However, the more Eric Johanson saw doctors, the less he wanted to talk. He found himself wanting to hoard the knowledge, and refused to let the others know.

Eric found himself in front of Observation Room 148 and peered inside. Empty. Eric panicked. "Robert," he hurried towards the door, and saw it had been taped off. A sign read "Do Not Enter: Decontamination in Progress".

"Decontami - What the Hell?" A laugh made him turn around. "Karen?" The woman smiled and walked towards the door.

"Robert got sick earlier, so he was transported to Cranburry's office. Don't worry, Robert will be fine." Eric's face paled.

_Something tore him apart_, he remembered the uniform's words, _like they were eating him_. Eric felt sick. "Karen," he spoke slowly, "Arther's dead. Uniforms said something tore him apart." Karen's eyes widened.

"What about Robert?" she asked, quietly. Eric shook his head.

"Uniforms didn't say anything about him." the two raced down the hall, back to Cranburry's office. A few uniforms hung around.

"Sir, ma'am, you can't go in there!" The two doctors ignored them, and sprinted inside. Once there, the saw the small, private observation room Arther had in his office was empty. The door was opened, and they saw blood smeared on the clear, plasic walls. Blood trailed out of the room, up a wall, and a air vent was torn from it's place, thrown on the ground.

Robert had killed, devouered, Arther Cranburry - and was currently running loose in the building.


	6. vi

Anomaly vi

Hunt

Michelle opened her eyes, groggily. She wasn't used to sleeping so _peacefully_. It was nice. She carefully sat up, and tilted her head to a side, listening to the sound of voices outside.

"Damn this lock down," a male spoke, "I had a hot date with Cindy!"

"Suck it up, asshole," another male spoke in a taunting tone, "Cindy's fun bags can wait. We got work to do." The first male scoffed and the footsteps faded. Michelle frowned.

"Lock down?" She tossed the thin blanket from her body and carefully swung her body around, planting her feet on the cold linoleum floor. She shuttered and stood, walking towards the door. She opened it and peered into the hall. Doctors were scattered around, gossiping. She shook her head and closed the door. She slowly made her way back to the bed and found herself falling forward. She landed on the bed, face down, with a soft _oof_. She laid like that, feeling her energy draining, soaking into the stiff mattress that she practically lived on these days.

_I hope Robert's alright_, she thought before allowing sleep to take over.

Robert hissed, climbing through the ventilation ducts. He kept his head low, sniffing at every opening he came to. He didn't know what he was doing, his body was acting on it's own – and Robert had to admit, it was _refreshing_. He had no idea how delicious human blood was; how the flesh seemed to melt in his mouth; how muscles and meat were practically orgasmic. He felt compelled to hunt. More meat, more flesh, more blood. More _death_. More, more, he wanted more, and his body seemed to heed his demands, gliding through the ducts, quivering when a human was close.

Robert was not stupid; he knew they had to be alone. Anyone else around and they would catch him and his hunt would be over. They'd lock him back up and be watched constantly. He growled; tail slamming into the side of the duct. Hunger drove him forward. Hunger demanded he hunted. Hunger was all he knew.

Nameless Medical Intern #4516-2. She scowled at the thought. Her name wasn't Nameless Medical Intern #4516-2, Goddammit! She hated the tease and the taunts, she hated the fact people didn't really respect her. Why? Because she was a fucking _intern_. She had a name! It was right there on her left breast, protected by clear plastic. If the asshole men would actually look at it rather than ogle her tits, they'd know what her name was. She put a hand towards the name plate – and her fingers brushed against the cloth of her blouse. She froze and looked down. Her nametag was missing!

"Shit," she muttered, looking around. When had it fallen off? She tried to remember when she last had it and drew a blank. She remembered sticking it to her chest this morning. She was positive on that. She scowled, trying to remember the events of the day. Clive had groped her – no surprise – and then the lock down was issued. She tried to remember if she felt the plastic press against her chest when Clive's hand cupped it, but failed.

"That _ass_, I swear if I find him, I'll kill him." She stormed off, her mind turning with anger. She wasn't sure _why_ she was mad, had he stolen her nametag, that could be a legit reason, but she felt it was something deeper. It clicked what it was. Sexual frustration. She growled, curled her hand into a fist and slammed it on the door.

"Clive! Open up!"

Robert froze, looking down. A man stood from his desk and opened the door. A woman pushed herself in and yelled at him. He could care less what they were talking about. The man pulled something from his pocket and waved it around the woman's face. The woman groaned and grabbed it, putting it on her blouse. The man laughed and the woman turned around, yelling more. Robert hissed, watching the man run after her. He kicked the vent off the wall and slid down. He found he could fit easily into a small cubby of the room and curled his tail around him. The door opened and the man had the woman wrapped around his waist, their lips crashing together in lust.

All Robert had to do was wait. Wait and soon his reward would come. He growled softly and leaned back into the shadows.


	7. vii

Anomaly vii

Retaliation

She leaned against the desk as her climax shot through her whole body. _Jesus was he good_. She thought, falling onto her back. Clive hovered over her a moment longer before pulling away. She gasped, but made no move toward him. She simply laid there, her mind full of sparks and her thoughts all but there.

She was only vaguely aware of a noise that sounded like two clicks in slow succession. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Something warm slid across her leg, and she tensed.

"Clive," she whimpered, her hands tightening along the desk's edges. The warm sensation traveled up her leg, and she allowed a moan to escape her lips. "You're such a teasing bastard," she said, her voice taking on a seductive tone. She heard no response, just felt whatever Clive had wrap around her leg. She opened her eyes; something wasn't right. "Clive?" Whatever this thing was, it felt – strange. She pushed herself from the desk. No body was in front of her. She glanced down at her leg and shrieked. Something thick and black was wrapped around it. She screamed again as she was pulled off the desk, but was silenced as Robert tore at her throat, before indulging in, yet another, feast.

More uniforms. This time outside of a doctor's office. The name plaque read **C. Miller**. Eric and Karen watched between the gaps as two carcasses were carefully being covered in tarps. The two doctors glanced at each other.

"It's Robert. It has to be. He's not accounted for, and you know how he is with meat." Eric said, Karen nodding in agreement.

"Right, but how are we going to catch him? I somehow doubt a cardboard box, a ruler and some string will do the trick." Eric glared.

"We'll think of something. Come on, let's go find Frank."

Frank Renalds leaned against the back of his chair, sipping the black coffee from a Styrofoam cup. Hearing hurried footsteps, he looked back and smiled.

"Hey, guys." He said, cheerfully. Eric and Karen stopped, looking at him, "Crazy times, huh? Lock down and such." He took another sip.

"Frank, this is serious. Robert's escaped." Eric said in a hushed voice. Frank choked, liquid running down into his lungs, rather his stomach. After a moment of coughing, Frank looked up.

"You're shitting me!" Karen and Eric both shook their heads. "When?"

"We don't know! But we think," Eric looked around; no one else was in the food court. "We think he killed Arther, as well as two other people." Frank's mouth dropped.

"He's violent? But, the records say he's never shown to bee violent!" Frank stood, suddenly, knocking over his chair. Karen took a step back, guilt written on her face. _Could all this be my fault?_ She wondered. Eric and Frank ignored her.

"Something must have triggered in him. Maybe something major if he's suddenly killing." Eric said, shifting his glasses higher onto his nose. Frank frowned.

"I don't like this." He whispered. Eric offered a forced laugh.

"None of us do, but Frank," Eric sighed, "No one else knows about it."

"What?"

"The uniforms told me, probably because he was in shock at the time. No one is supposed to know Arther is dead." Eric explained, "You, Karen and I are the only ones who know about it, as well as Robert being on the loose."

"So, you're saying we have to go and track him down before he kills anyone else, right?" Frank said, slowly. Eric nodded. Frank sighed, "I thought so." Eric frowned.

"Don't go all 'ethical treatment of patients' on me, Frank! Robert's killing people and we need to stop him before things get out of hand!" Frank winced. Karen stepped forward.

"Eric's right. We need to track him down and kill him if we want to survive this lock down!" Karen spoke with a stammer in her voice. Frank and Eric both looked at her, curiously, but made no comments. They both noticed she was looking slightly afraid – but it wasn't the fear of getting killed kind. It was different; like the fear of getting caught.

"Karen, do you know something that – "  
"No!" Karen spoke too quickly and, as equally quickly, spun around, hiding her blazing red face. "I just, I just want to survive, and that's all!" She said, stuttering. Neither Frank nor Eric believed her, but they decided to pry more at a later date – like when they weren't on the menu for a killer. Yeah, that would be a perfect time to start asking questions.

* * *

Haw, this chapter's opening paragraph is probably as close to smut as I've ever written - and probably will ever write.

It was quite uncomfortable, but I did it, anyway. Be happy.

:}


	8. viii

Finally updated. Yay.

Enjoy it, kiddies~

* * *

Anomaly viii

The Food Chain Falls

The three scientists felt horrible. Three people were dead and one boy, by any means barely legal, was the cause of it all. From what Eric could pry from the uniforms, each victim was devoured. It seemed Robert's appetite had increased. As the trio sat down, they had absolutely no idea how to deal with the situation. Robert was a patient; he had escaped and was killing _and_ eating people. He was a killer, cannibal, but he was still a patient. What were they supposed to do? Shoot him dead, or capture him to try and find out what was wrong? Questions buzzed around each doctor's head, teasingly poking at their brains. It was Eric who finally spoke.

"We need to tell a uniform," Frank and Karen stared at him, questioningly. "Robert is a patient, but I don't think the Hippocratic Oath stretches this far." Frank frowned. He didn't like it. When he made his promise, he never thought he would be in a situation like this. He hated to admit it, but Eric was right. When Hippocrates wrote the oath, Frank was sure that he never thought this situation would never appear. A patient was killing the doctors who were helping him, examining him, feeding him; over all taking care of him. Somewhere, however, Frank also wondered if Hippocrates was yelling at them from the heavens above, screaming "you bastards, help the poor child! Don't kill him!"

So the three sat there in a silence that screamed. They wanted to help - oh, God, did they want to help! - But how? None of them had combat training; Frank was certain Eric and Karen had never handled a gun. The only people who could help would be the uniforms, but they had no idea if they would believe three scientists. Frank expressed his concern and Karen gave a harsh laugh.

"I don't give a _fuck_ if they toss us in the loony bin! I'll feel safer if there's at least one person who can fire a gun." Karen's hand went to her throat and began to play with the small golden chain that hung there. Frank shook his head.

"Karen," he sighed, "If the uniforms _don't_ believe us, they'll probably release the lock down, and Robert will go out there and kill." Frank waved his hand at the walls, feeling annoyed.

"Right," Eric stood. "We might as well tell them. The worse that can happen is they don't believe us."

"No, the worse that can happen is that they think _we_ killed those people." Frank corrected.

Telling the uniforms was easier said than done. The majority of the security refused to talk to the scientists unless it was absolutely necessary; and as adamant was the trio were about trying to convince the uniforms the matter of Robert was "completely necessary", their words fell on deaf ears. What? Did they think they were _joking_? That as soon as they raced out to save the day, they'd fling Silly String at them? _Oh, ho ho! Did you see the look on his face? Priceless! Ho ho, oh!_ All hope seemed lost, and the three thought that they would soon bare witness to the Massacre at DES HQ. It seemed all they could do at this point in time was to sit and wait. And pray they would survive the lock down.

Was this wrong? To feel so much energy, so my _excitement_, killing another with a life? Robert didn't know. He felt no remorse. He felt glee, anticipation and hunger. _Oh, sweet Lord_, did he feel hunger. Not to eat, but to _kill_. To survive. He felt a primal drive to kill those who would pose a threat. And those men with guns surely posed a large threat. The scientists here also were a threat. They could catch him, again. Lock him away.

That would do no good. They had to go. All of them. Everyone had to die. So, why didn't he feel ashamed? Robert hadn't the foggiest, but that wasn't going to stop him. A single man, wielding a gun, stood alone. He looked tired, uninterested. Weak. He looked weak, and Robert knew he would be able to take the man out.

He tapped against the air vent's wall, gaining the man with the gun's attention. He straightened, gaze turning toward the sound. Robert scuttled down a way, past the vent grate and waited. The man readied his gun, and approached the grate. He took out a laser and slowly removed the bolts. Once they were gone, the grate fell and the man pointed the gun at the opening. When Robert didn't appear, he slowly stepped forward, dropping his guard, and weapon.

His scream carried through the air vent, as his blood splattered along the floor and wall. By the time the other guards showed up, Robert was already heading down the vent. He would pick off those who posed a danger to his survival. He would kill them all, one at a time. He needed patience.

Patience. Patience.


	9. ix

Anomaly ix

Praying

_Michelle heard their screams. Closing her eyes, she pressed her hands to her ears in hopes of filtering out the noise. No luck._

_ She had no one to blame but herself for being in this position. She had volunteered, after all. She knew the risk; she was told there was a 99.998% chance of her death. Michelle opened her eyes and nearly cried out in shock._

_How long had she been crying?_

_ She wiped away the tears and rolled her head to one side, taking to gazing out a window._

_ Alpha 7 was cold. The one thing they couldn't fix. They could make it livable, get a few greenhouses set up and climate controlled for proper vegetation growth and even bred livestock that could survive, but the climate was to remain cold. Regardless of climate, Michelle was still excited that she had been one of the lucky few hundred to have made the journey to populate the winter wonderland. Personally, she loved the near-constant snow fall._

_ Another scream ripped Michelle's attention away from the frosted glass. She heard words, and as much as she didn't want to understand them, her ears and brain rebelled and strained to decipher the message._

_ "__**God**__! God, help me! It hurts!"_

_Michelle began to hyperventilate. She clasped a hand over her mouth to help steady her breathing. She managed to relax and closed her eyes once more._

_ ".. lucky to get the samples we have. At the rate we're going through subjects, we'll be out before any success."_

_"Ms. Kraine will be due in the OR in three hours. God have mercy on us as well as her."_

_ God. Michelle opened her eyes to the ceiling. Did God exist? Even out on this frozen land? In this hell? Michelle didn't know, but for the next three hours she prayed, hoping to find the answer._

Michelle woke up in a cold sweat. She carefully sat up, throwing the blanket to the floor. She was still in DES, she could hear the doctors still walking around, talking gossip. Michelle ran a hand through her hand and listened.

"I heard that new intern died."

"Which one? We got, like, ten new interns."

"The hot, slutty one."

"Oh, _that_ one. What happened? She get in an accident?"  
"I heard she was disemboweled while getting freaky with Clive. Looked like something was eating her."

"You're full of shit!"

"Swear to God! I overheard the uniforms talking about it."

Michelle waited for the voices to leave before chancing a peak outside. No one. Gathering her courage, Michelle walked out of her room and down the hall.

"Robert," she whispered, feeling worry creep over her. Once again she found herself praying - not to find God, but to find her son. "Mommy's coming."

* * *

Reviews are nice to read.

Just saying...


	10. x

Oh snap. It's updated!

* * *

A Moment of Bliss

This was getting out of hand. In the span of an hour Robert had taken out three uniforms, six patients and four doctors. Karen was beginning to lose it and everyone who _didn't_ know why the lock down as issued were starting to figure out real quick.

"Guys, we _have_ to do something!" she let out in a hiss, closing the door to her office behind her. "Robert's getting out of hand. Screw the Oath. Screw the patients and everyone else. We need to either take down Robert or get out of here!"

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Eric scowled. "We're on _lock down_. If we try to escape we'll be detained and then we're screwed." Karen let out a shriek, pacing as she tugged at her hair. "We just need to calm down and - "

"FUCK CALM!" Karen snapped. "We're calm and we're dead!"

"We're irrational and we're dead! We'll have a better chance if we don't go smashing windows and throwing people around." Eric grabbed hold of Karen as she paced by. "Karen, relax. Take a deep breath and _calm. Down_." Karen whimpered, looking wide eyed to Eric as she took short, shakey breaths. Turning she frowned.

"Well _Frank_? You seem awfully calm over there." Frank looked up, blinking. "Where you even listening? I hope you being quiet meant you had a plan of some kind to - "  
"We need to talk to Michelle." The two doctors looked to Frank. "Robert's her son. We need to talk to her and - "  
"And? And what? Ask for her permission to shoot her son dead?" Karen was back on edge, pulling from Eric and grabbed onto Frank's shirt. "That woman's crazy! We can't talk to her!"  
"Robert's her son. She has a right to know."  
"We don't know that. We can't prove it! Robert's a freak! Damn near everything inside him is acidic! Blood! Bile! Urine! Hell, probably even his cu-"

"Bile?" Frank raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. Bile. He threw up, remember? His room had to be decontaminated. I - "

"How would you know?"  
"I saw it eating through the floor! Or starting to.."  
"How."  
"I LOOKED! That's how you see things!" Karen was hysteric. "I looked into his room and I saw it."

"You wouldn't have seen it from outside." Frank glared. "You made him throw up didn't you?"  
"What? H-how would I do that?" Karen glared.

"Enough!" Eric pinched the bridge of his nose. "Enough! It doesn't matter what happened when. All that matters now is we need to either sedate Robert or find a way out of here before we're killed."

"Then let's talk to Michelle. Maybe she'll know what to do." Frank pulled from Karen's hold and moved out the door. Stumped and without any other plan of action, Eric and Karen followed.

[oo]

Michelle looked down to her bare feet frowning as she tried to shift the pants down to hide the exposed flesh and pulled the coat around her more. These clothes were obviously too large for her but everyone was in such a panic that they didn't seem to notice. She began to dig through the rest of the bins, trying to find shoes. If she could play off being a doctor in all this confusion, maybe she could find Robert and somehow get out of here.

And the hospital's laundry room was perfect. She smiled, finding an extra pair of shoes and pulled them on her feet, rolling up the cuffs of the pants and stood. She looked presentable at least. Not a wild, crazy patient. She adjusted the clothes, making sure they layered right and went back out into the hall - where she bumped into the three doctors looking for her. Her eyes widened as Frank stumbled, looking to her. "M-mrs. Kraine?" Panic took over.

And Michelle ran. "Wait!" the doctors took off after her, while Karen raced to find the nearest uniform for help. Something big was going to happen. And she damn well wanted someone who could shoot with her.

[oo]

Michelle gasped, panting as a stitch took hold of her side. She grabbed onto it and kept running. She had lost them - but they weren't far behind. She bit her lip to keep from screaming out in pain as she clutched the stitch tighter.

She wanted to stop. She wanted to breathe and get some water. But above all that she wanted to find her son. So she kept moving, her movement altering as a limp began to form. She slowed and collapsed against the wall, breathing heavily, trying to get enough strength to keep going.

A hiss. Low, soft. Her body tensed as she looked around. She'd heard the hiss once before. Long ago, huddled in a cargo bay...

_The mass sunk into the cargo bay. Large, oblong head rose, looking around. Saliva dripping from it's lips. Michelle clutched Robert close, silently kissing her son's head. The tiny toddler tightened his hold on his mother. Michelle looked at the creature as it made it's way around the bay, slowly getting closer. She held Robert as close as she could, not caring the child was squirming in discomfort, his tail lashing out and knocked over a box._

_The creature looked their way and hissed. Michelle scared herself by sucking in a deep breath of air - how long had she been holding her breath? The creature crawled forward, hissing, snarling. Michelle whimpered, moving, trying to find a way out, but she had boxed them in. Hiding them from the men who wanted to take her child._

_The Xenomorph was there, even-digit hands moving the boxes away. Michelle yelled, backing into the wall, looking up terrified. "No .. please don't..." The creature growled, lowering it's head, jaw unhinging to reveal a secondary. Michelle whimpered, hugging her child. The Xenomorph lowered it's head to Michelle - and Robert growled, turning to glare at the creature. The alien hissed, moving to stare at Robert. Was it staring? She didn't see any eyes..._

_The creature and Robert seemed to stare at each other, Robert's tail lashing slightly. The alien moved his head, snarling and hissing. Robert glared, even daring to raise a hand to swat at the creature - before Michelle grabbed onto his tiny hand. "No!"_

_The Xenomorph looked to the two and made it's way back out the bay. Michelle stared wide eyed, her thumb rubbing along Robert's hand as the tiny child scooted close to his mother and went to sleep._

_Had the two... communicated some how?_

Michelle had learned that day what the doctors on Alpha 7 had spliced into her. She had no knowledge of what kind of creature it was, how it lived, what it ate. But she and Robert had made it to the escape pod - and no one else had.

And now Robert snarled, hissing as he looked to his mother, crawling closer. Michelle took a few steps back, panting before falling over. "Robert... It's me. It's .. It's your mother."

_Mother_. Robert stopped snarling and looked to the woman. Michelle gasped for air. "Robert, it's Mommy. It's Mommy sweetie. Mommy's here." Robert took a cautious step closer and Michelle began to smile. "My baby. I'm so glad you're alright.."

_"I hear her! She's over here!"_ Michelle gasped, looking back. Robert snarled, moving to go after the call. "No! Robert run! Go! Mommy will find you. I'll protect you I promise but you have to leave. Go hide sweetie!"

"There she is!"  
"What is that thing?"  
"_Shoot it_!"

Michelle was frantic as she moved to block her son. Robert quivered, and quickly made his escape. "No! Dammit woman!" Karen glared as the uniform moved to run past Michelle.

"Leave him alone!" Michelle grabbed onto the gun, but was easily shoved off. It was enough for Robert to escape - and now Michelle was at the mercy of three doctors and a ticked off uniform.


End file.
